Memo from celebrity chefs: Embrace your own kitchen

Cover Story

By spreading the simple message of eating good food at home, the season’s newest cookbooks bring a bit of activism to the table

September 28, 2011|By Devra First, Globe Staff

Each fall brings a new crop of cookbooks, welcoming us back into the kitchen for a season of soups, braises, and baked goods. This year, we see volumes with a keen sense of place, from near (Kathy Gunst’s “Notes From a Maine Kitchen’’) to far (Debra Samuels’s “My Japanese Table’’). Italy is a particular focus. Celebrity chefs and renowned restaurants make a strong showing, too, with upcoming books from “Top Chef’’ alums, lifetime achievers, and critically acclaimed establishments.

Perhaps the biggest theme to emerge is one that seems axiomatic: home cooking. Of course cookbook authors feel people should prepare their own food; they’d be out of business otherwise. But these books are written by some of the world’s top restaurant chefs. The likes of Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Mario Batali encourage us to stay home and eat with our families. They join Jamie Oliver, who also has a new book, in spreading this message. There is a rising sense of alarm about poor nutrition and obesity, which affect so many. Famous names help increase awareness. These books are a chef’s form of activism. And the dishes they offer are delicious.

Here are just a few of the season’s standouts.

LOCAL FLAVOR

“WILD FLAVORS: ONE CHEF’S TRANSFORMATIVE YEAR COOKING FROM EVA’S FARM’’ BY DIDI EMMONS Emmons is founder of local nonprofit Haley House Bakery Cafe and author of “Vegetarian Planet.’’ Eva Sommaripa grows herbs and greens for top Boston-area restaurants. The two are longtime friends; this personal book is based around the seasons in Sommaripa’s garden. Recipes include ginger tofu in beet broth, caramelized parsnip spread, and fish chowder with lovage. (Chelsea Green, $34.95)

ALSO NOTABLE: “The Apple Lover’s Cookbook’’ by Amy Traverso; “Notes From a Maine Kitchen: Seasonally Inspired Recipes’’ by Kathy Gunst.

AS AMERICAN AS …

“THE GREAT AMERICAN COOKBOOK: 500 RECIPES: FAVORITE FOODS FROM EVERY STATE’’ BY CLEMENTINE PADDLEFORD, EDITED BY KELLY ALEXANDER In the 1930s, journalist Paddleford flew her plane around the country collecting regional recipes from home cooks. They were first published in 1960 as “How America Eats.’’ From clam chowder to arroz con pollo, some of the best are collected here, adapted for today’s cooks. (Rizzoli, $45)

ALSO NOTABLE: “American Flavor’’ by Andrew Carmellini; “Basic to Brilliant, Y’all: 150 Refined Southern Recipes and Ways to Dress Them Up for Company’’ by Virginia Willis.

FARTHER AFIELD

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